MP: Iran Retains Cordial Ties with Kuwait

TEHRAN, April 3 (ICANA) – A senior Iranian lawmaker says the Islamic Republic will maintain amicable relations with Kuwait, calling on the Persian Gulf state to change policies based on interests.

Sunday, April 03, 2011 5:46:17 PM

An informed source at Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday refutes as “irresponsible and baseless” allegations by Kuwaiti judiciary officials that the Persian Gulf emirate has dismantled what he called an Iranian spy cell.

“This issue is not related to the Islamic Republic of Iran or any of our country's embassy staff,” the source said.

The source added that the row started last year when the accusations were first made by Kuwait and raised questions about the purpose behind renewing the claims.

Head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that Kuwait leveled such allegations against Iran to “deviate the public opinion of regional countries and the Muslim world” from brutal massacre of Bahraini people.

The Bahraini police, backed by Saudi and UAE troops, have intensified the clampdown on anti-government protesters who demand a constitutional monarchy.

Rights groups and opposition parties say hundreds of people have been detained or have gone missing since the protests began in mid-February, with at least 25 people killed and 1,000 others wounded so far.

Boroujerdi expressed hope that Kuwait would change its policies on Iran based on “its national interests and interests of the region.”

He emphasized that Iran was the first country that supported Kuwait following its occupation by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1990.

“Iran's support for Kuwait after its occupation showed that the Islamic Republic opposes any kind of occupation, including the occupation of its neighboring states,” Boroujerdi went on to say.

The Iranian lawmaker reiterated that Tehran's policy is based on the expansion of relations with regional countries.

In a phone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Mohammed al-Sabah on Thursday, the two countries' top diplomats stressed their determination to maintain friendly bilateral ties.

Salehi emphasized on Tehran's fundamental position of not interfering in the internal affairs of other states and described an old issue promoted by a Kuwaiti court and connecting it to Iran as a scheme pursued by enemies and aimed at damaging ties between the two countries.